Should adults be treated pharmalogically for ADD

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   ahostagesituationposted 13 years ago

   So...I have ADD, not usually diagnosed in girls, and when I was a kid, the recommendation was medication. My mother put the immediate kabosh on that ---wasn't having it.  But now, as an adult I can choose to be treated. I'm tough on myself, and pretty high-functioning, but it would be great to live without some of the effects of ADD. Kinda don't like the idea of being a zombie with no creativity, and there's also the fact that, well, I have ADD, would I even remember to take the medication???  Any adults considering adderall for ADD? I really hate drugs.

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      psycheskinnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I would suggest making an appointment with a specialist and discussing it.  Whether it is a good idea or not is a very individual thing.  I tried a few different ADD med as an adult but ended up not sticking with it as it didn;t seem to make much difference for me and there are some side effects.

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2. 85

   KCC Big Countryposted 13 years ago

   My husband was diagnosed with ADD in his early 40s.  He is not a zombie, hasn't lost his creativity, etc.  He is for once, able to concentrate and form complete sentences.  He used to try to say too many things at once so that nothing came out whole.  His medicine is a wonderful thing.  I have written a hub about it.

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3. 79

   ahostagesituationposted 13 years ago

   Thanks! pshycheskinner, I've made and canceled many appointments. I seem to want to have a decision before I go the office for some reason.  I must not want to, I guess.  EIther way.  KCC Big Country....I just looked through your hubs but you have A LOT of them...what's the name of the one about your husband? I had a guy friend with ADD not treated as a kid, but treated as an adult, seems to effect men pretty differently then women. Like depression, I've read all these things about depression with ADD males, and I don't have any issues with depression at all.  I'd really like to read your hub!

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4. 61

   lxxyposted 13 years ago

   I used to take meds for ADD, but when I was younger. Still have it, along with a few other things, but that's up for debate.
   
   Personally, I self medicate. I've had and tried different RXes, but could never do them without feeling a little "off," and not in a fun way.
   
   But that's just my experience--as KCC mentions, lots of people take medication for it, and most of the time there's little bad side affects.
   
   When I was on ritalin I had a miss dosage for a couple of weeks--I was, in fact, rather zombie-like. It wasn't depressing, just annoying.
   
   But I went to a time released version, and I self-regulated based on needs.
   
   I have no doubt that without ritalin, I wouldn't be half the sane I am today.

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      ahostagesituationposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Kinda like the self-medicate idea, but I think it will get vetoed by the people in my life.  Really interesting though, there are parts of it that I think are really cool.  Like the ability to think outside of the box-- Add-ers are like, "a box? there's a box? What box?" but there's some stuff I could definitely live without.  Cool response, thanks.

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         lxxyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hey, it's all good! Self medication for me can be as simple as writing, meditating, what-not-have you. Among other things. It's not really drinking, although I do consume an average amount (I think?) for my age.

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            ahostagesituationposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Know what, Ixxy, I thought you meant you self-medicate with prescription drugs as you wanted...wasn't thinking of a street pharmacist--;-).  I guess I already self-medicate!  And drinking doesn't change my ADD symptoms at all. Just makes me tired.  Do you notice that a lot of people who write have some level of ADD. You take the good with the bad I guess.  I told my ADD friend, that he was way more good then bad, and that that was not emotion--it was math. :-).

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               lxxyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Exactly. I don't self medicate with street stuff. I buy all my debauchery legally. For between 10-25$ a gram.
               
               But that's just already added to my "daily" routine. It keeps me levelled, but I don't *have* to do it everyday. It's just easier that way so I don't lose my tolerance and have it become more of an issue.

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                  mrpopoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  That does seem to be the best way to go about things. With moderation

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   KCC Big Countryposted 13 years ago

   The name of my hub on the subject is "Undiagnosed Adults with A.D.D."

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      lxxyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Had trouble searching for it (ahh, shoulda copy+pasted) anyway, here's a more direct link. http://hubpages.com/hub/Undiagnosed-Adults-with-ADD

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      1. 79

         ahostagesituationposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Just read it, and thought it was great.

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